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Post by Chris W on Jul 25, 2014 3:59:47 GMT -7
I'm fortunate enough to have a home climbing wall (aka The Barn) that is above and beyond what I actually need to train effectively. I am still, however, learning how to get the most out of it. Between work and my wife and kids, I almost NEVER get to a climbing gym, and my outdoor days are almost always crack-of-dawn sessions with a good friend before work.
I noticed during my last (and first) training cycle that I didn't have the time or creative energy to set boulder problems during the power phase or circuits during the power endurance phase. My current plan is to use time during the strength phase to set some problems and circuits before I need them so they'll be ready to go when the time comes. For those of you who train at home:
1) How and when do you set your boulder problems and circuits? 2) How many problems or circuits do you set? 3) Do you recycle your boulder problems (leave them up) for the next season or set all new problems each season? |
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Post by MarkAnderson on Jul 25, 2014 7:16:55 GMT -7
1) How and when do you set your boulder problems and circuits? I find it works best to set at the very end of the Strength Phase. At this point I'm cho(a)mping at the bit to start bouldering, so I'm psyched, but I still have enough down time to do some setting. My favorite time to set is after a HB session, so I can actually pull on some of the holds a bit without comprimising my recovery. That helps get the difficulty within reason. Ideally one of my later sessions will fall on a weekend so I can do my workout in the morning and spend the afternoon setting. Sometimes I will set one or two problems during a bouldering-only (no campusing) LB session, but that is rare. It can be a good way to get motivated if you're feeling flat or not into the session for some reason. Usually if I do this it's out of desparation (because I can't find an inspiring Limit Boulder problem to work). It's better to have a bunch of options at your disposal. I try to have a good 10 or so "projects" available at any time, so I can find something that is at my limit yet promising. Still, most of those 10 problems are too hard for right now! For the most part my wall is short enough that i can set from the ground or stacked pads, but occasionally I'll use a ladder to set the tops of problems (usually I just climb up on jugs). 2) How many problems or circuits do you set? If I do four, that's pretty good for a season. I might send two of them, and the other two will turn out to be way harder than I expected  I mostly set problems that are at or beyond my limit. When I built the wall I set a bunch of easier problems, and the "limit problems" from years ago are now warmups as well (albeit hard warmups), so I don't have a huge need for lots of easier problems. I probably should turnover the warmups more often, but I'm lazy. Once a year or so I will get psyched and put up a bunch of warmups, but they usually turn out harder than I expected too. 3) Do you recycle your boulder problems (leave them up) for the next season or set all new problems each season? I rarely take problems down. I have that luxury because I have plenty of space and plenty of holds. Friends like to laugh at the absurd amount of tape on my wall. Some holds have more than 10 different pieces of tape next to them. IT can be really baffling for people dropping in for a session. Occasionally during a setting session I will look for problems that never get climbed, and I might strip the tape from them, but even then its unlikely I'll take the holds down unless I need a hold for another problem I'm setting. I figure that the best place to store holds is on the wall, that way I can create new problems on the fly, or use them while ARCing, etc. I really like having all my old limit problems available at my fingertips. I enjoy going back to them to see how much stronger I've gotten since "the green route" was a limit problem. |
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Post by Chris W on Jul 25, 2014 12:48:35 GMT -7
Thanks for the help! I was planning on leaving problems up to make life [with kids] easier, and I seem to set problems much harder than my abilities as well. Nice to know I'm not the only one who does that. It seems to take a lot of mental energy for me to set a problem, so I may start at the beginning of the strength phase. I do like the tip to set right after a hang board workout. Also, my wall is still evolving. I need to shift the panels on my 35 wall a bit but I can't bring myself to disrupt several of my "limit" problems that I set before I really knew how to train (if you saw the frame of my wall, it would make sense).
Mark, is the Lazy H heated in the winter? The Barn isn't insulated, and temps can easily be in the single digits at 04:30 on a January morning. I have a phrase for that kind of cold, but it probably shouldn't be repeated publically.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Jul 26, 2014 6:50:50 GMT -7
I use a space heater in the winter. On cold days I need to start it a few hours before the workout to get the barn reasonably warm. It can get pretty cold up here (as low as -20 deg F). On days like that nothing will get the barn warm enough.
Fortunately I was warned that I would want insulation, so I went to the trouble to insulate it. Its only 3.5" thick, but better than nothing. It was miserable installing it.
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Post by Chris W on Jul 26, 2014 17:47:29 GMT -7
I'm a bit afraid that mice will nest in the walls if I insulate mine. I have a small propane heater, but it's mostly there for moral support or to warm my hands between sets. I'll have more questions for you as winter rolls around.
It's quite nice to have a home wall/training laboratory, but it has taken me a while to learn how to get the most from it. Your (Mark and Mike) book has been a huge help. I'm excited to try to set some more problems to actually have a warm-up ladder.
It may sound a little neurotic (because it is), but when I tape something, I lay strips of tape out on a small plexi-glass square bolted to my work bench. I then use a razor knife to cut the strips in half and section them neatly before putting them on the wall (no ragged edges). My tape seems to stay up well if I do it this way. If you leave your problems up forever and have trouble with tape falling off, you could always try something like this.
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Post by Chris W on Oct 3, 2015 3:25:12 GMT -7
Has anyone had any experience heating their climbing areas with either a wood stove or a pellet stove? I'm wondering if it would be economical, how well they could heat up a barn (500-600 square feet) and how quickly they would heat.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Oct 3, 2015 13:01:01 GMT -7
I haven't. However, those types of heaters generally work by heating the air in the space. A radiant heater heats objects in the space (and then in theory the objects can heat the air). For heating a cold climbing wall, I think a radiant heater is the way to go, because you can use to essentially heat the wall. If the wall is a reasonable temperature, the air temperature doesn't matter much.
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Post by Chris W on Oct 3, 2015 13:22:01 GMT -7
Like propane? My concerns with that would be the moisture associated with combustion. Rusty bolts, frost on the holds.
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Post by Chris W on Oct 3, 2015 13:23:08 GMT -7
I have a small propane heater to just heat my fingers and toes, which works well.
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Post by tedwelser on Oct 3, 2015 18:09:04 GMT -7
I have two electric space heaters and fiberglass insulation behind all the walls. Most days it just takes a couple of hours before use to get the dojo up to a workable temp.
We also invite friends over, and in the winter we can have 10+ climbers to warm the space, which can force us to open the windows to even things out.
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Post by MarkAnderson on Oct 3, 2015 18:40:24 GMT -7
Like propane? My concerns with that would be the moisture associated with combustion. Rusty bolts, frost on the holds. I believe radiant heaters can use various types of fuel. The fuel isn't the key part. I use an electric radiant heater. |
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Post by Chris W on Oct 3, 2015 20:19:59 GMT -7
We also invite friends over, and in the winter we can have 10+ climbers I don't have any friends... 
seriously, I think I've only had one person every take me up on the offer to climb in the barn.
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Post by tedwelser on Oct 5, 2015 11:18:55 GMT -7
We also invite friends over, and in the winter we can have 10+ climbers I don't have any friends...
seriously, I think I've only had one person every take me up on the offer to climb in the barn.
That is a bummer! I was mainly climbing on my own until I connected with the local bouldering group on facebook. Through that I met most of the more motivated local climbers and since then have had regular nights at the "Dojo", currently that means Tues and Thursday evenings from 7:00 till 9:30 or so. Through this reaching out effort I also met my current best climbing partners, who are in their mid 30's or late 20's. A whole set of younger folks cycle through, and so we get pretty good energy around both climbing for fun and for training. This larger population helps make a wider range of climbing trips possible too. |
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Post by Chris W on Oct 5, 2015 12:20:53 GMT -7
I've thought about finally getting a Facebook account for that reason.
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Post by Lundy on Oct 5, 2015 17:45:24 GMT -7
This is an interesting conversation. When I first started more formal training, I was doing so with a friend, but I found that it was hard to get things just right. For example, hangboard workouts suck with another person trying to split the time, even if you have double the weights you need and all pre-slung. So I've moved to training solo (I like to think of it as a choice!!) and I think my focus during those sessions is a lot higher. Having said all that, it definitely is nice to get a crew in every once in a while to keep the motivation up.
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I mostly set problems that are at or beyond my limit. When I built the wall I set a bunch of easier problems, and the "limit problems" from years ago are now warmups as well (albeit hard warmups), so I don't have a huge need for lots of easier problems. I probably should turnover the warmups more often, but I'm lazy. Once a year or so I will get psyched and put up a bunch of warmups, but they usually turn out harder than I expected too.
